Fish Finder -- Published Oct. 30, 2013

Wednesday

Oct 30, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Peter Ottesen

DELTA

November is generally the best time for fall-run striped bass fishing, so get energized. Plenty of under-sized stripers with larger fish going 9-11 pounds are moving up the San Joaquin River. Last week, they were thick in Mildred Island, Connection Slough and along the Deep Water Channel from Santa Clara Shoals to Windmill Cove. Now, bass are continuing toward the Port of Stockton.

Some anglers anchor or fish the shoreline with threadfin shad or live mud suckers. Others cast Rat-L Trap lures. But, the best method is to graph a school and jig them with a Gibbs Minnow or a similar shad-imitator. Find a school and you might record a 30-plus fish day. With a jig, you also might accidentally hook a salmon.

Recent one-foot tides have given way to greater water movement and better scores. Whether the velocity will rid the west side of the Sacramento River of pesky weeds and grass is anyone's guess. Some days it is possible to troll the Old Dairy, West Bank and Sandy Beach. On others, the floating vegetation makes it impossible.

Best striper fishing on the Sacramento River side appears to be in the lower Delta, from Collinsville to Montezuma Slough and the shallows of Honker Bay. Bait, such as bullheads, mud suckers and shad, are the ticket. Few are trolling. Stripers seem to be larger in this area, too, going from 10 to 17 pounds on the upper end of the scale.

King salmon fishing has slowed now that water has been released from Camanche Dam into the Mokelumne River, effectively attracting fish upstream above Highway 99, where fishing is closed. Van Assen Park and the Mokelumne River Hatchery off McIntire Road are good locations to see the spawning salmon and learn about their life cycles.

Better location to try for salmon is near Sacramento, where kings headed toward the American River are staging to make a move.

Black bass fishing limps along, as Delta water temperatures dip to 61 degrees. Jigs and reaction baits will turn largemouth, less than 12 inches to upwards of 1 1/2 pounds. It seems that bass are in a state of flux from summer to autumn.

SALTWATER

Ocean - Salmon season limps along to its close on Nov. 10. However, salmon 15-20 pounds are responding on the 75- to 85-foot line from Muir Beach to the Ship Channel. Average is about one per rod, a good score for this time of year. Anglers have more interest in rock fishing with combination trips for mixed cod and Dungeness crabs to begin Saturday. San Pablo Bay - No end to school-sized striped bass at the top of the tide at China Camp, Marin Islands, Brickyards and Paradise. Trolling and plugging is best. Largest stripers weigh 4-8 pounds. Few halibut in the take at Alcatraz, while leopard shark fishing is good in most locations. Little interest in sturgeon.

RIVERS

American - Salmon beginning their push up river. Many are still staging in the Sacramento River north of Garcia Bend, reported Broadway Bait.

Klamath - Major salmon run has reached the base of Iron Gate Dam and spread downriver all the way to Happy Camp. Kings weigh 10-15 pounds, a few into the 20s. Most are dark. Steelhead have moved into the riffles below spawning salmon, gorging on eggs. Trinity River has salmon and steelhead all the way to Lewiston, best at Junction City.

Sacramento - Fall-run salmon keep showing at the Barge Hole and the mouth of Battle Creek, a main spawning tributary. Most are dark. However, the first appearance of bright, silver late-fall run salmon has arrived. The state record salmon, 89 pounds, was caught years ago on Nov. 27 at the mouth of Salt Creek below Red Bluff. That's when the big ones of the late-fall run suddenly appear.

LAKES

Amador - Approximately 1,000 pounds of homegrown trout are released every weekday by concessionaires. These hybrids weigh 2-3 pounds each and can be hooked from shore on floating baits, Rapalas and spinners.

Camanche - Trout plants have begun with 3,600 pounds of rainbows released earlier this week - 1,200 pounds each at North Shore, South Shore and the adjacent Trout Pond. Said concession spokeswoman Merrisa Dolin, "We'll continue planting trout once a week through winter."

Los Vaqueros - Bank anglers have good chances to hook striped bass to 24 inches and trout to 4 pounds. Trollers that pull Rapala lures also can score both species. Concessionaires are stocking trout, while reservoir operators are pulling in bass from the Delta. Water level is about 133,000-acre feet, highest ever.

New Melones - Dropping about 2 feet per week lowering the water level to about 140 feet below spill. The lower launch ramp is open at Glory Hole Recreation Area making for easier boat access from Angels Camp. Trolling is fair for rainbows to 3 1/2 pounds in the top 25-35 feet. Alternative action is for channel catfish to 14 pounds that get after sardines, anchovies and liver.

Pardee - Preparing for the annual winter closure. Last day to fish is Sunday, with fair to good prospects for trollers in the top 25 feet or bait dunkers in the backs of coves. About 31,000 pounds of trout were released this year. Pardee reopens on Feb. 14.

Woodward - This Stanislaus County impoundment, along with Turlock and Modesto reservoirs, are receiving consistent trout winter plants. Shoreline bait fishing is decent. However, there is a potential conflict when trollers look for rainbows and motor too close to duck hunters and their decoy spreads. Give them some room.